On boxing.

Vitali's turn in Klitschko vs. Sanders

April 22, 2004|By Michael Hirsley.

LOS ANGELES — Saturday's title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Corrie Sanders offers two of the more intriguing potential scenarios in a heavyweight division that has slid gradually into mediocrity.

Klitschko gets an opportunity to avenge his younger brother Wladimir's quick and devastating knockout loss to Sanders last year. However, if Sanders can repeat that performance against Vitali, he can reduce the Klitschkos to KO's and make a shambles of the highly touted Ukrainians' dream of being heavyweight champions at the same time.

Whoever prevails Saturday will have the most bona fide claim to the heavyweight crown as World Boxing Council champion, no matter how much the other sanctioning bodies and their titleholders Chris Byrd, John Ruiz and Lamon Brewster might disagree.

As if to solidify the case that the WBC title means the most, recently retired WBC champion Lennox Lewis attended and addressed Wednesday's final prefight news conference. Lewis generally was recognized as preeminent among the heavyweight titleholders.

Both Klitschko and Sanders sought to downplay the grudge factor precipitated by what happened just over a year ago in Hanover, Germany. In their bout for the lesser World Boxing Organization title, Sanders floored Wladimir Klitschko four times and finished him within two rounds as Vitali watched from his younger brother's corner and yelled angrily at the winner.

But the older Klitschko insisted Wednesday that "the most important point for me Saturday is to be the world champion. Against whom, it's not important."

For his part, Sanders would say only that Vitali's postfight behavior last year detracted from "what was supposed to be my time as the winner."

Klitschko, 32, is a 3 1/2-to-1 favorite over Sanders, who is 38. It is a battle of big heavyweights, with Klitschko standing 6 feet 8 inches and Sanders 6-4.

When asked if Sanders might find the same weaknesses in him and his style that he did in Wladimir, Vitali replied without hesitation, "I have a totally different style from my brother."

He said he had watched many tapes of Sanders' fights and was prepared for his strengths, including the left-handed stance that saw him catch Wladimir repeatedly with left hooks.

Sanders said he never watches tapes of opponents' fights to analyze their styles.

"For me, they look like the same kind of fighter," he said of the Klitschkos. "I still think Wladimir has more skills, but Vitali is stronger. That's the main difference I see."

As a result, he expects a tougher fight from Vitali.

Lewis was none too subtle in backing Sanders, accompanying him to his dressing room after the news conference.

"All Corrie has to do is hit his face," Lewis said. "Once you've been cut in boxing, especially four or five times in the same place, that cut will open again."

He was referring to the cuts he inflicted around Klitschko's left eye in their title fight last June. The scheduled 12-round bout was stopped midway through because of the wounds and Lewis was declared the winner by technical knockout although he was trailing on all three judges' scorecards.

Klitschko and Sanders refrained from trash-talking each other, leaving that to James Toney, who heckled from the audience at their news conference. Toney added his name to the heavyweight contenders by knocking out Evander Holyfield last year.

Klitschko declined to be drawn into Toney's rant, the revenge factor against Sanders or whether he considers himself to be the best heavyweight out there because of his strong performance against Lewis last year.

"Never tell anybody that you are the best," he said. "Somebody will come along who is better. It's the same with saying you are the smartest."